His lip curled in a smirk he couldn’t help while his gaze dropped to the pulse in her neck. “Though tempting, not necessary.”
“You won’t hurt me,” she said.
His eyes snapped back to hers. “And how do you know that?”
She turned to face him more fully, both hands holding on to her glass. “I remember you from the alley. If you wanted to do me harm, you would’ve done it then, when you killed that asshole.”
Her comment caught him off guard. She didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact he’d taken a life.
Since he couldn’t lie to her, he figured there was no reason to pretend otherwise. “You’re right, I won’t hurt you.” However, she was the only one who was safe from him.
“How’s the shoulder, by the way?”
He frowned, confused. “Shoulder?”
“You were shot that night.”
Eclipse glanced down at his shoulder, remembered the blazing pain he’d felt when that bullet had struck him. The worst had been Obsidian removing it, knowing his pain had been transferred to Penelope in the process.
“It’s fine,” he told her, meeting her gaze once more.
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Despite her bravado, when Eclipse took one step toward her, Orianna moved back. He continued his pursuit until she was backed against the iron bars of a cage currently imprisoning two human males, who were making out like it was their last night on Earth.
“I didn’t catch your name,” she said softly, the words coming out as a rasp. “I’m Orianna McKay.”
He could smell her. Not fear. Intrigue. She was a risk taker and she was turned on by his nearness. Oddly, it stirred something deep inside him.
“And you are?” she repeated.
“Eclipse.”
The female stared at him for the longest time before surprising him yet again.
“What’s with the sunglasses?”
“Light sensitivity,” he said easily.
“Yeah. Okay.”
“Why’re you here?”
“I’m looking for my sister.”
“Amber?”
Her eyes narrowed. “How did you know that?”
“The asshole in the alley. He called you Amber.”
She nodded, clearly accepting his answer.
“Why would your sister be here?”
“Someone told me she would.”
“Who?”
She shrugged, then casually glanced around. “A woman I ran into. Told me she knew her. Gave me this address.”
Ah, hell. She’d been lured here. Likely by a vampire who’d caught her scent and was hoping to sample a taste before the night was over. Or worse. Now that they knew there was a faction of vampires who’d stepped over to the dark side, it was possible she’d been drawn here to be handed off to Lucifer’s demons.
“Someone was fucking with you.”
Orianna frowned. “Why would they do that?”
He stepped to the side, motioned toward the room. “Perhaps they wanted to ravish you in the melee?”
Her gaze swung from him to a female currently aligning her fangs with a male’s carotid. She huffed a laugh. “Like I’d willingly participate in—”
From their position, there was no disguising what the vampire was doing.
When Orianna stepped closer to him, as though Eclipse would protect her from someone doing the same to her, a surge of adrenaline flooded his veins.
“What the hell is going on?” she whispered, turning her head to stare up at him.
“It’s a vampire club,” he told her, again aiming for transparency.
Those pretty eyes narrowed in disbelief. “Vampires? Seriously?”
Eclipse offered a slight shrug. “Look around, sezari. How else do you explain it?”
“Vampires don’t exist,” she argued, although she did turn her attention to the other patrons.
He allowed her a moment to take it all in, to witness firsthand the male currently feeding from a female, another with his hand thrust between a female’s thighs, her eyes closed, mouth open as she rode the waves of orgasm. But it seemed to be the two females in the corner who caught Orianna’s attention. Both were latched on to a male’s neck while he writhed and squirmed beneath their onslaught.
“Still think they don’t exist?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“No,” she said, spinning to face him. “They do not.”
He shrugged again. “If you say so.”
“If you’re so damned convinced, prove it,” she insisted, taking a step closer.
Yep, danger was her middle name.
Eclipse studied his amsouelot for a moment, admiring the steel in her spine. Despite the fact she was a foot shorter than he, as well as at least a hundred and twenty pounds or so lighter, the female didn’t seem the least bit intimidated.
Figuring what the hell, he snagged the glass from her hand, set it on the table beside them. He took her hand and led her to the dance floor.
“How is this proving it?” she asked, staring up at him.
The music was loud, but the industrial screech and thump had nothing on the rapid beat of her heart pounding in his ears.
“Patience,” he muttered before taking her hand and tugging her in close.
When her arms wreathed his neck, they both inhaled sharply. The way her body fit against his was … well, it was fucking perfection, as though she’d been created only for him.
Then again, she had, hadn’t she?
They remained like that for the longest time, moving to the music, his body aligning with hers until they were both breathing heavily, her eyes glazed. The fact that she didn’t move away wasn’t lost on him. It was as though she was eager to have him touching her. If she was like him, it was a relief to have that cold ache in his bones gone, even if it was only temporary.
Andiu oh, how he wanted to touch her. Every-fucking-where.
When the song changed, morphing into a dark thumping number, Eclipse slid one hand up her arm, gripping her wrist and unlocking her arms from around his neck. He then turned her so she was facing away from him, pulling her back so her luscious ass was intimately pressed against his thighs. Sliding his arm over her shoulder, Eclipse planted his hand on her belly and nuzzled her neck, inhaling that sweet lavender scent he remembered from the alley.
He’d spent weeks thinking about her, interacting with her on a telepathic level, but nothing compared to having her in his arms.
“What are you doing?” she rasped, tilting her head to give him better access to her pounding pulse.
“Proving it.”
Her soft hand slid over his arm as though she wanted him closer. “How?”
“Keep watching,” he urged, and hoped he could pay attention long enough to prove anything other than the fact he wanted her with a passion that defied logic.
Easier said than done, Orianna thought as Eclipse’s big body pressed up against her.
From the moment she’d noticed him watching her from across the room, she knew their paths would cross. Or at least she’d hoped they would. She had recognized him instantly, remembering their interaction in the alley as well as the strange visions since that night, and had hoped that luck was finally on her side. What were the chances she’d run into him after countless weeks of attempting to find him?
Good, it seemed, because this was definitely the white knight she’d encountered. Only, she wasn’t quite sure he was as noble as she’d made him out to be in her head. She didn’t need to know anything about him to know he was dangerous. More so to her sanity than anything, but for some stupid reason, she’d allowed him to lead her out here to prove a claim that was, at its core, preposterous.
Vampires.
As if.
Of course, she would’ve likely followed him anywhere, which was almost as ludicrous as the whole vampire thing. Yet Orianna couldn’t fight the overwhelming attraction or the desperate ache that had taken up residence between her thighs. She hungered fo
r him in a way that defied logic, unlike anything she’d ever felt before.
Funny, her mother had always told her when she found her soul mate, she would know. Orianna couldn’t help but wonder if there was some truth to that. Granted, she wasn’t crazy enough to believe in soul mates. No more than she believed in vampires. But she could not deny the attraction.
“Don’t look away.” The deep baritone rumbled through her, heating her blood and causing a familiar warmth to pool between her legs.
She was vividly aware of the big hand that spanned her belly, gently holding her in place. When his other cupped her neck, gently urging her back against him, a lightning bolt of desire slammed into her. The possessive gesture should’ve made her panic, only he wasn’t hurting her. He wasn’t even applying pressure. The move was meant more to keep her from turning her head, but Orianna felt the brush of his hand on her throat all the way to her core.
“Watch how he tilts her head just so.” Eclipse’s voice was a steady whisper in her ear, his warm breath sending a tingle down her spine.
Orianna inhaled sharply as Eclipse mirrored the man’s movements, slightly tilting her head. She kept her eyes straight ahead, watching the man’s lips graze the woman’s slender neck. Warmth trickled through her sex when Eclipse did the same to her, his smooth lips brushing her oversensitive skin.
“He’s kissing her,” she said, her voice wrecked by the lust coursing through her.
“He’s not kissing her.”
She swallowed hard when Eclipse’s tongue grazed her neck even as the man pulled the woman’s long hair back over her shoulder and leaned down once more.
“He’s preparing for his next meal.”
She knew she should’ve been terrified—likely Eclipse’s intent with this stupid show—but Orianna was too turned on to be scared. Part of it was due to watching such an intimate act between two people, but more so because her mystery savior was touching her. Everywhere.
The man lifted his head and met Orianna’s eyes briefly before his upper lip curled back and revealed…
“Oh, God.” A trickle of fear bloomed in her bloodstream as the man leaned forward and pierced the woman’s flesh with those wicked sharp canines.
Eclipse’s hands tightened on her neck and her belly, holding her against him, his breath fanning her sensitive skin. “Believe me now, sezari?”
Orianna would’ve sworn her eyes were playing tricks on her if it weren’t for the fact her body was aflame with sensations. No way was she dreaming. Not even those strange fantasies she’d had for the past few weeks could measure up to what she was feeling now.
The woman moaned softly, closing her eyes as she gave herself to the man … vampire … whatever he was.
Could this be real? Or was it some elaborate hoax? Maybe cosplay. People did that, right? Didn’t have to be Halloween for people to dress up and pretend to be something they weren’t.
Of course, that didn’t explain the weirdness she’d witnessed tonight when the woman and man from the warehouses had disappeared in thin air.
A memory assaulted her. The night in the alley when Eclipse had killed the man who’d mistaken her for Amber. She remembered the moment he’d looked at her and she’d seen…
Orianna spun around in his arms, staring up into his face. She cupped his cheeks roughly and used her thumbs to shift his upper lip back.
His canines were strangely sharp, but not nearly as long as she’d— Holy shit. Right before her eyes, those fangs descended from his upper jaw, growing longer.
“You’re one of them,” she accused even though it sounded ridiculous. Vampires didn’t exist.
Did they?
“I assure you, sezari, I’m not a vampire.”
Before she could call him a liar, a body slammed into her from behind, forcing her to fall against Eclipse. Her natural reaction was to tear into the rude asshole, so she pivoted around to do just that and found herself face-to-face with the woman who’d told her about the place.
For a second, she was stunned into silence, but her brain finally kicked back online.
“Where’s my sister?” Orianna demanded, stepping forward into the woman’s personal space.
The woman responded with a flutter of thick, black lashes, a slight tilt of her lips. “Oh, sweetheart, I have no idea.”
Aware that several people had turned to watch them, Orianna wasn’t about to back down. “Then why’d you tell me she was here?”
A smile pulled the woman’s ruby-red lips back. “Why else?” She took a step closer, then lifted her gaze above Orianna’s head. “I’m sorry, lover. But she’s here for me tonight.”
“Actually, she’s not,” Eclipse said, his voice a deep, dark rumble.
The woman evidently took that as a dare, because she countered with, “Don’t worry. I’m more than happy to share.”
Share? What the hell was she talking about?
“I don’t share,” Eclipse stated, his big hands resting on her shoulders as he pressed against her once more. Even though she couldn’t see him behind her, she knew Eclipse had lost his playful air. There was no seduction in his tone or his tense body. He was in warrior mode and this woman was his target.
Stuck between the two warring … creatures, Orianna couldn’t seem to move. She was already pressed against Eclipse while the woman with the evil eyes closed in on her.
Screw this. She was not about to be some toy for them to fight over.
“You lied to me,” Orianna snarled.
“I like to refer to it as using information to my advantage.”
“How did you know about my sister?”
The woman smiled devilishly, then tapped a long black nail against her temple. “Hard to miss when she’s a constant thought in your head.”
Frowning, Orianna let the words come together, tried to make sense of them.
“So, what? You were reading my mind?” The woman’s expression appeared pleased, as though she’d wanted Orianna to come to that conclusion. “You bitch.”
“No need to get testy, honey.” The woman laughed softly. “By morning, none of this will even matter.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
As though in a trance, Orianna could do nothing when the woman lifted her hand, skinny fingers tipped with long, coffin-shaped black nails reaching out and teasing her hair. It was the same feeling she’d had outside, as though someone was controlling her movements, rearranging her thoughts. But rather than fear, this time she was overwhelmed with desire.
An animalistic growl sounded from behind her. “Last warning, vampire. Back. Off.”
The woman wasn’t at all intimidated by Eclipse, her black eyes shooting to his face once more. “Or what?”
The next thing she knew, the woman was gripping her head, crying out as though in pain as she stumbled backward. The move drew the attention of everyone near them, a round of hisses sounding as the partygoers turned rabid.
“Fucking angel!” someone shouted, the words inciting more hisses, the gyrating bodies separating as they began circling them.
Orianna was seconds away from full-blown panic when suddenly everyone froze where they were.
Well, everyone except for Eclipse, who began maneuvering her out of the fray.
“Can’t take you anywhere, can I?” an enormous man asked, strolling toward them as he gestured in the direction of the exit. “I think it’s time we call it a night.”
“Agree,” Eclipse rumbled, taking her hand and pulling her alongside him.
She sidestepped the immobile bodies, wondering what the hell kind of game these people were playing. No one was moving, as though they were trapped inside their skin. Orianna stared in disbelief as they weaved between flesh-and-blood statues.
“What’d you do to them?” she asked.
“Don’t worry,” the stranger said. “I’ll release them once we’re outside.”
Release them? He was doing this?
Okay, so much for this not being a dream. Ha
d to be. This was far too creepy.
Time to wake up.
Pinching herself, Orianna inhaled sharply when pain shot up her arm.
“You’re not dreaming, sezari.”
The hell she wasn’t.
The man who’d joined them opened the front doors and gestured for her to step outside. She glared at him as she passed, waiting for her alarm to go off and wake her up.
Cool air caressed her overheated skin when she stepped outside. Everything was exactly as it had been when she had arrived a short time ago. The house was cloaked in darkness, all those fancy cars still parked in front. No one was out here to intervene, which meant…
“Where’re we going?” Orianna demanded when Eclipse nudged her down the stairs toward the cars.
“Party’s over for us,” the stranger told her.
“Who’re you?”
He smiled, and once again she got a flash of fangs. “Name’s Kaj.”
“What the hell is going on?” Orianna snapped, jerking out of Eclipse’s hold and dividing her attention between the two men. “Who are you? Better yet, what are you?”
Kaj was the one to answer. “Well, I’m a vampire, and my buddy here … he’s an angel.”
God, he said it like she should’ve suspected as much.
Wait. He said…
Orianna snapped her attention to Eclipse. “An angel?” She laughed, though she didn’t find this the least bit amusing. “An angel with fangs. Right.”
“Looks like you’ve got some explaining to do,” Kaj told Eclipse. “Why don’t you take the car and I’ll meet you at the mansion.”
Mansion?
Before she could launch another question, the man just disappeared. Poof! He was gone.
“I have got to wake up,” she muttered to herself as Eclipse guided her down the line of vehicles.
“You’re not asleep, Orianna.”
When he stopped in front of a fancy foreign sports car, she laughed. “Yeah. Right.”
The next thing she knew, Orianna was buckled into the passenger seat, Eclipse behind the wheel. He steered the car out of the lot and down the winding path while she tried to wrap her head around everything. Not only had she been immersed with vampires—and angels, if Kaj was to be believed—now she was riding in a car that cost upwards of three million. She only knew this because she’d been fascinated with sports cars since she was little. It was one of the few things she’d ever had in common with her father.
Salvation in Darkness (Misplaced Halos Book 2) Page 9